Diversity

Adventure Activism, Climbing, Diversity, Expedition Denali / 20.08.2012

[caption id="attachment_7763" align="alignleft" width="402"] photo by Bryan Fabel[/caption] Morning comes early in the mountains. By definition an alpine start rouses climbers from sleep long before sunrise. Gathered on the Easton Glacier the night before, we discussed our departure time at the team meeting. My first thought was probably shared by the others. "Are you friggin' kiddin' me?" But no one said anything. We just agreed to be roped up and ready to go. One by one we shuffled off to bed. At 2 am I lay in my tent wide awake huddled...

0 Likes
Climbing, Diversity, Environmental Protection, Expedition Denali / 09.08.2012

Just barely recovered from the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City I'm heading back in to field with the National Outdoor Leadership School. As part of training for Expedition Denali in 2013 our team of African-American climbers is getting another opportunity to build skills and camaraderie while traversing the glaciers of Mt. Baker in the state of Washington. The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful part of the country. And as we prepare to embark upon another great adventure I can't help but recognize how lucky we are....

0 Likes
Adventure Activism, Climbing, Commentary, Diversity, Expedition Denali / 16.07.2012

This is going to sound really odd. But there's something comforting in the taste of wet wool. Just back from two weeks of glacier training with the National Outdoor Leadership School in Alaska I'm struck by this enduring memory. Each day while carrying a 60-pound pack sweat poured off my forehead in a briny stream so thick and salty it might have been blood. Despite the bitter cold and a frigid wind it didn't freeze. Hot and wet it flowed down my face and into my mouth. Only...

0 Likes
5Point to MountainFilm Tour, Climbing, Diversity / 21.05.2012

[caption id="attachment_7352" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Narinda (left) and Diana"][/caption] Over the past several weeks I've had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people. On the road across the west on the 5Point to Mountainfilm tour my travels have taken me to a few of the premiere climbing spots in the nation. Along the way I've shared a bit about my personal life in adventure. Through the course of that exploration in particular I've connected with several people who each continually struggle with their identity in the wild world as a...

0 Likes
5Point to MountainFilm Tour, Adventure Media Review, Climbing, Diversity, Environmental Justice, Expedition Denali, Interview, National Parks, NPR, Public Radio / 18.05.2012

Just a few minutes ago I came in off the trail from the rim of the Grand Canyon. Settling into a wireless hot spot and a cold Corona at the Yavapai Lodge I fired up the laptop to find a message on Facebook from my old friend Menno van Wyk. He was my boss at Montrail since before it was called One Sport. So we go way back. It was of course great to hear from him, but his post to my time line filled me with dread. "James...

0 Likes
5Point to MountainFilm Tour, Diversity / 11.05.2012

  “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” ~T.S. Eliot author of “The Wasteland” This morning I ate cereal on same breakfast table where I used to do my homework. The Joy Trip has brought back to where it all began for me at my mom and dad’s house in South Central Los Angeles. After 27 years very little has changed. And even though my 86-year-old parents required the...

0 Likes